Our Elf On The Shelf... Meet Ruxin

Ever since our Elf Ruxin came to our family, Lucy has been over joyed. She absolutely loves him and has been waking us up early every morning to find her new friend... which we, do not love. But its hard not to get excited too when we see her face light up. Here is what our elf has been up to :)

Elf on the Shelf

Have you been hearing a lot about Elf on the Shelf this holiday season? No? Well let me enlighten you. Elf on the Shelf was a tradition that started with one family. When the children asked their parents, "How does Santa know when we are naughty or nice" their parents informed that each family has an elf that watches over them during the holiday seasons and every night it flies back to the North Pole and reports to Santa. Then the elf flies back home and hides some place new to watch some more.

It is a really cute story and amazing how one family's tradition has turned into such a world wide movement. People get really into and find the most creative ways to hide/pose their little elf. Some elves are simply hiders, while others play funny little pranks... some elves ever made naughty little choices and get into the strangest things.

You can buy Elf on the Shelf from Target for about $29. It comes in a really nice box set... it provides an elf (different colored elves and features too, so check the box to see what kind of elf you want), a book explaining the story of the elf, and it all comes in a nice case that helps you keep the book and elf safe while in storage during the year.

The way we introduces Lucy and Calvin to the elf was we places the book under the Christmas tree. When we woke up Curtis and I started complaining about hearing noises last night that kept waking us up. After a little bit we all noticed the book under the tree. After guessing discussing how it got there we decided to sit down and read the book. The book explains what the elf does, how his magic works, when he leaves, and his job. After the book Lucy looked up and saw the elf sitting in our Christmas tree.

She was very confused and a little skeptical. She started asking questions and looking through the book trying to get some questions answered; leave it to our child to question EVERYTHING :) . Finally after a few silent moments she looks up from the book and stares at the elf and whispers, "This must be real". Curtis and I about died.

Lucy keeps telling me to talk to the elf and tell him "I love him" and she asked me to tell him what she wants for Christmas. It is already pretty cute and we are loving it already. I just excited for how we are going to hide him tomorrow.

The book even comes with a page to write when you started this Christmas tradition and the name of your elf (because the book says you need to name your own family's elf). You can even go online and register your elf on the official website and see other families elf.

So if you are looking for a fun family tradition to add to your holiday season, check out, Elf on the Shelf.

Here are some of the cute elf mischief I've seen and here is a link to some wonderful Elf ideas.

We had an adult halloween costume party to go to and we had fun getting our costumes ready. We went as the evil Mario villians Wario and Waluigi. Apparently we are more geeky than we realized cause not as many people got our costumes as I would have thought. But for trick or treating... we were pretty much to coolest adult for anyone 8 and under :)

I used an old pajama pant pattern to help make the pants and used a kitchen apron for the top. They weren't too bad to make and I whipped both of them out in 24 hours. All I know is that this Halloween gave me the Halloween bite. I can't wait for next year to pump out more costumes.

Wilton Chocolate Melter

WFMW
This is the time of year where cheer is spread and so are waist sizes! And all I can say is.... don't fight it.... EMBRACE IT! Gaining weight and eating sweets is part of the holiday tradition like the... singing carols, decorating the tree, and opening presents. And a way that you can help embrace your holiday weight is with the Wilton Chocolate Warmer.

The Wilton Chocolate Melter is a life saver around Christmas time with all the goodies being made and drop off. And I know that you might be asking yourself, "Do I really need a chocolate melter?" Oh my friend, the answer to that questions is a big "YES". Not only is this baby great for obvious reasons, like making chocolate covered strawberries, but you can make and store chocolate covered pretzels, home made truffles, and even use it as a fondue pot for cheese or chocolate.

These treats are not only tasty, but fun to have around and entertaining to make. They make great gifts too. I just finished making some home made truffles as a "thank you" to a friend for helping me out...granted, a bit of them never made it to my friend (We may have eaten a few). But because of the melting pot they were really easy to make, plus the melter helped the truffles have a nice professional look and is it wrong to admit that I felt pretty cool dropping off from-scratch home made truffles, because, honestly, who doesn't want truffles? :)

Some Great Ideas For Dipping
Strawberries
Cherries
Pretzels
Gummie Bears (my personal favorite)
Rice Crispy Squares
Make Your Own Chocolates with molds
Fruit
Marshmallows
Gourmet Carmel Apples
Rasins

Christmas Wall Hanging

I maaaay be going a little over board with all these Christmas decorations, but what can I say!?!?! I can't help it! I JUST LOVE THIS SEASON! So, hopefully this fun holiday craft will help feed you Christmas need for mooooore festive fun!

This simple wall hanging is a great decoration and super easy craft. All you need are...

Wood Holiday Shapes

Scrap Booking Paper

Letters

Wooden Pole

Wooden Head Beads Ends (optional)

Ribbon and/or Twine

Tools Needed - Sand paper & hot glue gun

To start this craft take your wooden shapes and start gluing them to your holiday scrap booking paper. Make sure you are gluing the shapes to the BACK of the paper, so the pattern will be face up on the shape. The best glue to use is aerosol/spray glue if you don't have that you can use Elmer's glue... just make sure that you use VERY LITTLE or else the paper will pucker on the wood. Buy a little extra paper so you can try again if you accidentaly use too much.

Once all the shapes are glued down, cut them out as best you can. Now take your sand paper and use it to help smooth out the jagged edges... this will really make them look professional. Now you should have all your pieces cut out and sanded.
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At this point take your wooden letters, the pole, and the wooden ends and paint them the color of your choice. Once they are dried, hot glue your wooden letters onto your festive shapes.

Start cutting out your ribbon so you can attach it to your pole. If you are doing the Christmas ornaments like me you can thread the ribbon right on through those holes, but if you are doing Christmas trees or reindeers you can simply glue the ribbon to the back.

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Now you can start hanging your shapes from the pole... I glued the ribbon to let them hang from the pole, you can glue them directly onto the pole if you like or simply tie a knot and hang them from the pole as well. When all your shapes are nice and hung you can now hot glue the wooden ball ends onto the pole.... this step is optional, these balls just help to give a more professional/completed feel.

With all of the steps completed, you now just need to tie some ribbon or twine to help you hang the whole thing on the wall. I tried ribbon, but thought it looked a little much, so I switched to twine and loved it.

The whole project ran me about $10-$12... depending on how nice of paint and paper you buy. But this only took me a couple hours and turned out fairly nice. What I really love about it, is that I can totally use this for other holiday ideas too. It will be fun to make one for Halloween and Valentines... but maybe I should just worry about one holiday at a time :)

Christmas Traditions

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY

When I think about Christmas one of the main things I think of is tradition. We have so many wonderful Christmas traditions that I look forward to every year. One of my favorite's is the Christmas nut. On Christmas morning my mom always made a great breakfast and somewhere in the main dish was a nut and who ever found the nut was declared the winner and got a special present.

So, for this F.M.M. I am wanting to hear about YOUR family traditions. Please leave a comment or e-mail me at motherhoodfordummies@hotmail.com with your fun family traditions. I am going to read through them all and I'll post my top 10 favorite, with a link, and a clip about your blog for the next Family Moment Monday.

Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.

Christmas Decorations

I am a sucker for Christmas decorations and have been slowly collecting them over the past few years. But unfortunately since I have a child who has the ability to pick things up, but is still lacking in the hanging on tight area.. we have been looking for, um..... less sensitive items :) But just because I have to pass on items, doesn't mean that you have to. So, here is a great list of oober cute Christmas decorations.

Christmas Tree Advent Calender
Who doesn't love advent calenders... I know I do. Seriously, I love collecting them. They are just too cute and kids love having something to open everyday. This calender can be found at Target and is on sale for $19.

Christmas Card Holder
I have seen card holders pop up more over the years, but this has to be my absolute favorite one, and seriously... who wouldn't love it... ITS FROM POTTERY BARN! Everyone loves Pottery Barn.... okay, maybe not the prices... but they do have dang cute stuff. This super cute swirly card holder is going for about $49.

Table Runner
I have been thinking about making a nice table runner for a while now, but just never got myself to do it. But hey.... now I don't have to! I found this adorable snowman table runner from Amylinz on Esty that I have been eyeing this season. And if you are eyeing it too, you can get it for $43.


Christmas Puzzle
This is a great holiday decoration if you have children in the house, because it is made to be played with. I just love that fact that I wont have to watch Lucy like a hawk anytime she goes wobbling on over to it. I also love that it isn't just any old puzzle, but a great 3D one that is bound to give the children some festive fun. Selling from "The Lang of Nod" for only $13.95.

Reindeer Ornaments
This adorable reindeer set is more than just cute.... it is.... okay... well, maybe I don't really know a better word to describe them, but they sure are super DUPER cute! With each reindeer dressed a special way and tagged with their own name, your kids will have fun hanging Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen. These ornaments come from Pottery Barn and you can get the whole set on sale right now for $49.99

Festive Bella Apron
I never thought a apron could be sexy, but I have to admit... that this little number has a little va-va voom to it! I know it doesn't have your typical Christmas colors, but is does have holiday presents all over its cute print. I think I might just have to get this to reward myself for all the Christmas baking I plan on doing this year! I think I could treat myself for only $28.75. Plus the apron is called the Bella apron and for all your Twilight fans you know you gotta love that!

Reindeer Rocking Horse
This has to be the cutest holiday decoration that I have ever seen! Seriously! I am already a sucker for rocking horses, but this! A reindeer rocking horse, toooo cute. And besides being a cute decoration, it is a wonderful toy for your kids to play with during the holidays. This reindeer comes from the Mammas & Pappas store in the UK, so if you are interested in ordering one for your home, you will need to contact them and discuss delivery arrangements, because they do deliver internationally, but they need some information first. This darling chair is on sale right now from 70 pounds (about $130) down to 25 pounds ($45).

Felt Christmas Ornaments
These adorable ornaments are just calling my name! MiChiMa's shop is just filled with very simple but adorable ornaments: Santa Clauses, Christmas trees, angles, wreaths, and even candles. They are a little pricey for ornaments, but the seller MiChiMa is having a sale of buy 3 get the 4th free. So, if you don't mind paying $7 for an ornament, these little fellas can be yours.

Stockings
Most people already have some nice stockings, but we have yet to find a nice set that we want to hang on for Christmases to come. But Pottery Barn has a nice set called the Sun Valley Stocking Collection that have a cozy home knit feel that I just love. They are on sale right now for $19 each and you have three cute patterns to choose from; Santa, snowman, or reindeer. You can also get them personalized for an extra $6.50

Christmas Plaque
This beautiful plaque is a wonderful reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. With a simple and elegant design, it helps remind visitors in your home about the loveliness behind Christmas. Priced at $18.

Telluride Advent Calendar
Surprise, surprise, another Pottery Barn find.... this brightly colored advent calender has to be one of my favorites. Besides being a fun wall decoration, it is one of the biggest I have seen.... and I LOVE IT! I especially love that since the pockets are bigger you can fit better surprises in it, like toy cars, toy jewelry, and little trinkets. It is selling at $69 for a calender, but if that is a little hefty of a price, then just think of it as only $2.76 per pocket :)

Mini Christmas Stockings

Tis the season to get creative! I found this wonderful mini Christmas stocking pattern that is perfect because you can use it for practically everything. With this mini stocking pattern you can make name-place holders, a beautiful way to spruce up a present, festive money holder if you are going to tip your mailman or such, you can even make a super cute advent calender with these fuzzy little bad boys.

To make these cute stockings you will first need to make sure you have...
Stocking Pattern
Fabric
Ribbon

First go ahead and start cutting out stockings with the pattern and the fabric. It will be easier if you fold the fabric in half so you can cut the stockings out faster. As soon as you have as many as you want, then go ahead and cut out (from paper) a rectangle that will be your pattern for the cuff of the stocking. Make sure that you cut the rectangle a little wider than the stocking pattern cause you will need some extra space. You should have one cuff piece for every complete stocking and a complete stocking should have a front and back piece.
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Now you should have all your stockings and cuffs cut out. Take one front piece of a stocking and take one of the cuff pieces. Fold the cuff piece hot dog style over the top of the stocking piece, now you can sew the cuff onto the stocking front.
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Now you should have one front piece of a stocking with a cuff attached and one back stocking piece with nothing on it. Take these two pieces and turn it inside out (place the patterns facing each other). Go ahead and take a piece of ribbon about 12-13 inches long and fold it in half, slide the ribbon into the inside out stocking. Make sure you have just a pinch of the ribbon sticking out over the edge of the stockings (I am pointing to this in the photo). Pin this all together and start to sew the stocking together; just make sure that you don't sew anymore of the ribbon to the stocking than that folded little bit.

Once all sewn together, you can now turn the sock inside out! Now you should have a nice stocking with two strings of ribbon sticking out of the back end of the stocking. With this ribbon you can attach it to a napkin at a table setting, add it to a present to make it look nicer, a box of homemade cookies, or even make them into Christmas ornaments.

If you are wanting to make a advent calender with this pattern you can get some great ideas from Scribbit and over at Burda Style

Christmas Lights

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY

Well we have some decorations up and soon we will be getting a tree... we just need to figure out a time that we can go tromping off into the forest to get one. With most of our Christmas "to-dos" almost completed we still have one more festive decoration that needs handling...... dreaded Christmas lights.

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My poor husband hates them, truly, truly, hates Christmas lights. ME on the other hand LOOOOVES Christmas lights and wants to be "that" house on the block that decorates every nook and cranny to help give the holiday feel. But even though we are still trying to decided if WE want to do lights or not (I hope we do!) we will just have to enjoy the neighbors.... which brings me to a fun F.M.M.

Every year a few days before Christmas, my family would all pile into the car and would drive throughout Anchorage enjoying the Christmas lights. We would spend time singing Christmas carols, asking ridiculous questions "what if" questions, and sharing our favorite part about Christmas while we enjoyed the beautiful festive lights. It was a wonderful way to do something Christmasy without having to spend money, plus it gives you a chance to spend some time as a family away from all the phones and tvs.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

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p.s. If you live in Alaska the news paper, every year, has a map with a list of the top 25 decorated houses in Anchorage and they are always pretty good.

Christmas Music

If you are tired of hearing the same version of Silver Bells by Sinatra year after year then join my band wagon because as much as I love Christmas music I am ready to hear some new Christmas cheer. And guess what!?!?!? I am going to pass my findings on to you! Lucky you!!!!! :) So here is a nice list on my favorite nontraditional Christmas music

Do They Know It's Christmas - Bare Naked Ladies

Where Are You Christmas - Faith Hill

Angels We Have Heard On High - Relient K

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings - Bare Naked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan

Silent Night/Away In A Manger - Relient K

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Jack Johnson

Let It Be Christmas - Alan Jackson

All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Cary

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Relient K

Run Run Rudolph - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Believe - Josh Groban

When Christmas Comes To Town - Matthew Hall & Meagan Moore

Thanksgiving Crafts

With Thanksgiving only a few days away now, I thought some of these fun ideas might be nice. With center pieces, place holders, and crafty decorations to choose from, you will have a kitchen that says Thanksgiving in no time.

Pilgrim Place Card

Corn Candle Center Piece

Blessing Box

Pumpkin Center Piece

Halloween Ideas

With Halloween coming up and we uber excited, because this will be Lucy's first Halloween. I just can't wait to see her all dressed up and hopefully walking to the door! HOW FUN!!??!! Anywaaaaays... back to the post :)... with Halloween coming up I have been looking up some fun crafts and with the request of other bloggers out there, I found a couple no sewing Halloween costume ideas.

Halloween Crackers
I have always thought these looked so fun. Plus, you can totally use these instructions for birthday parties, Christmas, or any other gathering.

Hula Girl Costume

Garden Girl Costume

Flower Girl Costume